Green Goo

[S60TEM]

The green goo to give it it's real name is 'Verdigris' and its the result of moisture that is oxidising the copper.......sort of like rust on steel and the white powder on Aluminium.

Have you noticed copper pipework underneath boilers etc, they'll have a very similar 'goo' on them too.

Statue of liberty is a prime example of a copper statue that is oxidising.

 

[Litttle Shonet]

You might have discovered an underground Swarfega lake!

 

[kerching]

The green goo to give it it's real name is 'Verdigris' and its the result of moisture that is oxidising the copper.......sort of like rust on steel and the white powder on Aluminium.Have you noticed copper pipework underneath boilers etc, they'll have a very similar 'goo' on them too.

Statue of liberty is a prime example of a copper statue that is oxidising.

Sorry, but the goo that i am talking about [and others] isn't verdigris.....verdigris if my memory serves me correctly is an oxidation of the copper producing copper oxide, which is a dry film. This stuff is as wet as an Otter's pocket!!... :coat

 

[Sidewinder]

Peeps,

It is a combination of Verdigris & plasticiser from the cables.

The semi fluid part is the plasticiser, the green colour is the Verdigris.

The plasticiser is very nasty stuff!

Carcinogenic IIRC, though I would have to check.

This is a little more serious than it first appears...

 

[safedepth]

There was an article about it in one of the trade mags a month or so ago. I can't recall all the details but it wasn't considered dangerous but could cause discomfort to some with dodgy skin etc.

I had a customer ask for a rewire because he had it bad in his (1967) house. It had leaked down the walls from switches etc. Here is a picture of a jb under his floor. The staining around the right hand side is green goo.

I can confirm it is very sticky, very green and tastes nothing like snot. Only joking about the last bit!

Sorry about the quality.

 

[Megaohm7]

No but they may feel as soft as your face.

I can feel a song coming on now..

 

[ianmacd]

I can feel a song coming on now..

You mean like:

Now cables from the sixties can feel as soft as your face with acrid green wire goooooo.

 

[Sidewinder]

According to BASEC the green gunge is primarily composed of plasticiser it may well be coloured with verdigris I suspect.

The plasticiser in question is dioctyl phthalate, again according to BASEC.

There is an abbreviated typical MSDS for this here:

Safety (MSDS) data for dioctyl phthalate

This is issued by Oxford University, as can be seen by the web link thus it is probably quite reliable.

DOP is certainly not harmless!

Though in small doses it may be a low risk.

 

[Manator]

As strange as this may sound but the same type of plasticiser is used in the manufacture of vinyl wall coverings.

 

[Sidewinder]

Manator,

It is, the, most used pvc plasticiser, pvc being poly, vinyl, chloride.

I'm teaching Granny now aren't I!

:coat